<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Imprinted in Blood. by Sentient_Stove</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28951641">Imprinted in Blood.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sentient_Stove/pseuds/Sentient_Stove'>Sentient_Stove</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Among Gods and Mortals. [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, Sanders Sides (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Get better, Italian!Virgil, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Nightmares, Roman is a sweetheart, dud your hands are fucked up, hey we're one fic from hitting the halfway point in this series, mayyybeee, take some time off, then you can go home, virgil is not taking time to heal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 05:20:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,088</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28951641</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sentient_Stove/pseuds/Sentient_Stove</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Virgil attempts to use his abilities on purpose.<br/>Unfortunately, everything comes at a cost.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Among Gods and Mortals. [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2099127</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Imprinted in Blood.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Apex_Calibre/gifts">Apex_Calibre</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>so.. enjoy..<br/>-satellite</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>He was the way home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil stared down at his bleeding hands, the cardinal color drip, drip, dripping down into the dirt and blooming bright red clusters of flowers with every drop.  He knew that this wasn’t supposed to be happening, he should be fine, but there was a hand on his shoulder and when he turned, Roman’s face stared back at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Except for one major difference.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was a half rotted skeleton.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil sat straight up, head knocking into Roman’s chin as he flailed away from his nightmare, heart pounding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Virgil!” Roman’s arms wrapped around him and held him close.  “You’re safe…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nightmare, I’m sorry.”  Virgil muttered as he lay back, the two of them adjusting to a more comfortable position that wouldn’t murder Roman’s spine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was it about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil closed his eyes.  “You were dead.  Blood flowers, you know…the usual stuff about me being unable to get us home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?  Nico got us here, so isn’t he the one to get us back?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil shook his head.  “The first time Nico made it to our world, I was nearby.  Why on earth would he have control over reality hopping?  Same with being brought here.  </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> was the catalyst.  So yeah, it </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> on me to get us back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, don’t get down on yourself.”  Roman said softly. “We still have time to figure everything out.  You just work on getting better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Roman, it’s been almost a week.  They’ve got to be losing hope.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, but we can’t focus on that.”  Roman responded lightly.  “I’m worried, but let me be that for both of us, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...okay.”  Virgil agreed softly.   He waited until Roman was asleep before shifting out of his arms and slipping out of the infirmary to find some paper and a pencil.  It wasn’t hard to find, and Virgil was surprised that no one seemed to be around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What kind of camp didn’t have at least one group of kids running around to pull pranks around at three am.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil sat on the porch and scribbled out a quick note.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Mama, we’re alive and trying to get back.  Ti voglio bene.  -tempesta</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He folded the paper into a triangle and placed it on the ground in front of him.  He looked at the bandaged hands and sighed, before unwrapping them and carefully resting his hands on the note.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Home.  The shared room with Roman and both of them with half folded laundry on the ground because cleaning had been Virgil’s plan for the day when they got back from the strawberry fields, even though that hadn’t happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil felt the prickle of pain right before the paper wobbled and disappeared, hopefully off to the right location.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He left two bloody handprints on the ground, but Virgil couldn’t honestly bring himself to care.  At least it wasn’t turning into flowers.  He quickly rewrapped them in the bandages, wincing at the pain before standing up and going back inside to sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>One Alternate Universe over, slightly to the left…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Remus was laying on his twin’s bed when the portal of shadow opened and neatly spat out a triangle of paper that hit him in the forehead.  He opened his eyes and sat up, the paper falling to his lap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell?”  Remus muttered as he unfolded it, quickly reading the note before standing up and leaving the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“MOM?”  He yelled out as he wandered to the living room, where she was sitting with Dad, both of them looking extremely worried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is everything okay Remus?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I see the grocery list from two weeks ago?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His mom blinked.  “Sure sweetie, I’ll go get it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Remus waited for her to come back and once she did, he took the list and held it next to the note that had beamed him in the face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yep, that was Virgil’s slanted handwriting for sure.  Remus looked up at his parents.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, I found this in Roman’s bedroom just now.”  He held out the note.  “I don’t know how it got there, but it wasn’t there when the weird guys came and searched the place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His mom grabbed the note and looked at it, face paling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay… Thank you for telling us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.  I’m gonna go back to his room now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Remus, I know that this is hard, but I promise that it’s going to work out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Remus turned to face his mother.  “I’ve seen enough horror movies to know that Roman’s probably dead.  And I don’t care about his boyfriend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stormed off before she could respond.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shit, he missed his twin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your hands were fine last night when I wrapped them.”  Will pulled out a new set of bandages.  “And this morning they’re completely soaked with blood.”   He began to wrap Virgil’s hands, ignoring the wincing that the older gave every time he pulled it.  “Virgil, these are going to heal without feeling if you’re not careful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p><span>“Don’t apologize to me, say sorry to the fact that you aren’t allowed to grab anything until your hands are perfectly healed.  Which means that no blood is coming up.”</span> <span>Will finished wrapping his hands and looked at him.  “Capish?”</span></p><p>
  <span>“Okay.”  Virgil promised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can go eat breakfast now.  And we’ll figure out your cabin stuff after, you can’t keep sleeping here and I doubt that we need to build a whole cabin for a demigod who doesn’t plan on staying.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can just stay in the guest room Ro’s in.  I don’t want to impose on anyone again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will shrugged.  “Okay.  Let me know if your hands start hurting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil nodded numbly and Will left, leaving him sitting alone on the bed for a moment before he stood and went to go find Roman.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Roman was predictably at the main eating pavilion, but he didn’t have any food with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil sat next to him.  “Hey.  How’d you sleep?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great!  Want some help eating?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nah, I can do it mysel-- </span>
  <span>oh my god, I can’t.”  Virgil blushed and ducked his head, bringing his bandaged hands to hide the red. “What has my life come to?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A massive adventure!  I’m sure that your hands will be fine in a day or two and then we can pop home and console our families.  Remus is gonna kill me…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You clearly haven’t met the wrath of an Italian mother.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil shook his head.  “I think it’s too late for both of us on that one.  We’re doomed.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>most of the time, virgil's reality warping has been minor or accidental: nico the first time, him and roman the second time, the toast thing, giving Roman the ability to see through the Mist and a few other things that he did when he was younger before he even knew about any of this.<br/>So when he purposefully made it so that Patton didn't die- that surge of power damaged his nerves and a few other parts in his hands.  Because you can't go from zero to sixty in a day without burning out.<br/>the more he uses it = the more it'll get damaged = harder time using abilities and hands</p><p>(also, kudos and comments?)</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>